Reviews by Gumbea

Gumbea says "Appreciate, learn and enjoy the beauty of trees" about The Morton Arboretum in Lisle

Gumbea — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:46:31 GMT

Twenty-five miles West of Chicago is the Village of Lisle Illinois. Off of Interstate 88, North on Route 53 is The Morton Arboretum. Arboretum means "the place for trees". You have Morton Salt in your kitchen. This is that same family who dedicated acres and acres of land to the conservation and study of trees. There are one-way roads to s-l-o-w-l-y travel through the collection of trees from around the world. Park and read the labels on each tree to realize the scope of these beauties. In the Spring, the Daffodil Glen is bursting with acres of yellow blossoms -- bring your camera! Autumn is magic on the East Side route. The yellow leaves in the trees and carpeting the forest floor are stunning. Come around the curve to see one very proud tree decked out in splendid Autumn color. The new Children's Garden is fun. There are shallow ponds for the kids and their watchful parents to wade in. The lookout among the treetops is unique. A maze comprised of various hedges is frustratingly wonderful....

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Gumbea says "Shared with us the love of San Francisco" about San Francisco Shuttle Tours

Gumbea — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 21:08:51 GMT

Book a tour with www.sanfranciscoshuttletours.com Their 5-hour orientation of San Francisco was greatly appreciated. Not knowing the city, nor where to park, we let the driver and tour guide show us the city. The small group of 20 people was nice. We began to share our own stories. The tour guide gets off the bus with you at multiple stops. You receive a comprehensive orientation plus insight into interesting facts of the places we visited. The tour gathered at The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, convenient to our hotel. Booking online is a must. Combined with a tour of Muir Woods National Monument north of Sausalito, we had a full relaxed enjoyable eight hour day of beautiful San Francisco. Coming "home" on a ferryboat rounded out the tour. The wine country tour looked as if they had a full contingent of connoisseurs. An all day trek is also available to drive out and enjoy Yosemite National Park. I've fallen in love with San Francisco, thanks to the great tour with San Francisco...

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Gumbea says "Primeval -- waiting for a dinosaur to walk by" about Muir Woods National Monument

Gumbea — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:50:43 GMT

GO. Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California should definately be on your "don't miss it" list when visiting San Francisco. Be very cautious on the hairpin turns on Route 1. We went on a typical thick foggy day with some drizzle. Bring a jacket and an umbrella in October. But the fog and drizzle only added to the atmosphere of awe as we walked into the Coastal Redwood forest. These giant trees command respect and wonder. Stop when others stop. They might have spotted a giant slug, a flower or a 6-point black tail buck slowly walking up the hill. The little children didn't understand, and were as loud as kids can be as they sped along the path. They didn't get it that they were in a cathedral of the biggest living things on Earth. Their innocent voices broke my peaceful meditation among the giant trees. But go. You don't see these trees back home. Hungry for more information, I was a little disappointed at the small selection in the gift shop. Bring a good flash for your......

Gumbea says "Clean, convenient and a waffle for breakfast." about La Quinta Inn Chicago Matteson - Matteson, IL

Gumbea — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:24:29 GMT

Whenever I travel back home to the South Suburbs, I book a room at La Quinta in Matteson IL. Comfortable and quiet rooms despite being next to Interstate 55. The rooms are standard, but roomy. Since the whole hotel was redone, it is even better. It's fun to enjoy a Belgian waffle in their complimentary breakfast area. Of the four hotels in the immediate area, I like La Quinta the best. Book them on Hotels.com for a little bit of a price break. If you are traveling through, this is the place to rest. Shopping is across Cicero Ave at Lincoln Mall for anything you may need. Hello again, I'm home!...

Gumbea says "Orbitz took great care of me when stranded" about Orbitz

Gumbea — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:03:47 GMT

While taking a shuttle to LaGuardia Airport on June 27, 2007, Orbitz called me on my mobile phone with a heads-up that my flight was delayed by a half an hour. A storm was rolling in. Orbitz called me again and again and again with a recorded message of the now obvious situation. Even at 1 a.m. Orbitz called to tell me of the cancellation of my flight. With a low battery, now 7 hours into the wait, I shut off my phone. Hysterical, I joined the rest of the stranded herd wherever we could find some comfort. Curious, I switched on my failing phone to find yet another message from Orbitz. They had already booked me on a noon flight on June 28. At that very tired moment, I cried tears of joy that Orbitz cared enough to help this very grateful stranded traveler. I will always use Orbitz!...